Prophets and Jesus Christ Himself have referred to the covenant people at times as "the elect". I've written a bit about this before, but I had a particular thought about the word recently. I saw this in Matthew 24:24 (with the same wording in Joseph Smith--Mathew 1:22). For those of us who grew up in the Church, hearing the term "the elect" sounds pretty normal, though I think we often associate the wrong meaning with it, though. I think that we (people in general) have often taken terms like "elect" or "chosen" to mean something like "special". It's surely very possible for someone to take pride in belonging to "the elect"; sometimes the feeling is more overt, as with the Zoramites in Alma 31, but I think it is sometimes only felt rather subtly.
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ could fall into the trap of thinking that being "the elect" means we have achieved a higher spiritual state and are somehow more or better than other people around us. But that's not what "elect" means.
Where else do we hear the word "elect" being used? Perhaps in a governmental election, such as a presidential election. In this case the "president-elect" has indeed been chosen, but is explicitly *not* the president yet.
He isn't there yet. And we, as the "elect" aren't either.
Being "the elect" is an indication of being something someday in the future. Members of the Church have made a covenant with God to follow His Son, and thus, by faith in Him, repentance, and obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel we can one day be exalted. In the meanwhile, it's good to remember that we haven't reached our goal yet. We've got a path to follow, and work to do, and only after we follow that path and finish our mortal course will we make a transition from elect to exalted. That's why we have a warning from the Savior that even the elect can be deceived.
Last thoughts for now:
I hope I keep the right attitude about being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ--that I can keep the duties of my covenants in mind and never set myself above others. I hope to avoid being deceived. I hope that one day I will have fulfilled the role of the elect, and that one day the Lord will say to me the same thing spoken in the parable in Matthew 25:21 -- "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." Until then, I can keep trying to live in a way that will be accepted by Him.
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Sunday, August 25, 2019
The Will and Unity of the Father and Son
Do God the Father and Jesus Christ have the same desires--the same will?
In recent months, I've been pretty active in the comments for the Now You Know series published by the Church on YouTube. It's been a very positive experience for me, whether helping to clarify errors stated by other users or answer sincere questions from seekers of truth. Today the interaction brought me to a thought I'd never had about a subject that I've understood for years.
The interesting comments were in response to a video about the nature of the Godhead. As could be expected, some Christians of other religions had some disagreements. Some members of the Church responded and some were more proactive in their comments; one quoted Jesus Christ asking the Father if the metaphoric cup could pass from Him, of course followed by his statement, "Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." The Church member then suggested that it wouldn't make sense for a being to ask permission of itself and then acquiesce to itself. I agree. Then, in a reply, another user (whose religion was not stated), asked: "Interesting... if Jesus knew he was God, why would he ask the Father for permission? Why would he put the Father's will before his own? Do their wills differ?"
One of the major aspects of the nature of the Godhead is that They are united in purpose. That makes it easy to raise the question, "Do their wills differ?" If Christ subordinated His will to that of God the Father, then Their wills *must* have differed in some way.
I think the key difference in Their wills comes from the very fact that They are separate entities. Jesus was nearing the end of His mortal experience, but still mortal, and performing an infinite Atonement for our sins that caused Him more emotional and physical anguish than anyone else has ever known. His body was subject to pain and a natural desire to avoid or end that pain. Thus, the Man who was experiencing the pain of the Atonement had, within Him, the will that it should stop. However, because of His great love for His Father and for us, He put that will beneath the will of His Father, who surely empathized with His Son but yet knew that the Atonement of Christ was necessary for the salvation of all.
So during His mortal life, Jesus' mortal experiences in a physical but imperfect body would have given Him desires that, although supremely tempered and controlled by Him, were a part of His will. That was what made His selflessness and righteousness so great.
Last thoughts for now:
I'm grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I'm grateful for His perfect example to us. I'm also grateful to be able to continually learn through study and testimony.
In recent months, I've been pretty active in the comments for the Now You Know series published by the Church on YouTube. It's been a very positive experience for me, whether helping to clarify errors stated by other users or answer sincere questions from seekers of truth. Today the interaction brought me to a thought I'd never had about a subject that I've understood for years.
The interesting comments were in response to a video about the nature of the Godhead. As could be expected, some Christians of other religions had some disagreements. Some members of the Church responded and some were more proactive in their comments; one quoted Jesus Christ asking the Father if the metaphoric cup could pass from Him, of course followed by his statement, "Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." The Church member then suggested that it wouldn't make sense for a being to ask permission of itself and then acquiesce to itself. I agree. Then, in a reply, another user (whose religion was not stated), asked: "Interesting... if Jesus knew he was God, why would he ask the Father for permission? Why would he put the Father's will before his own? Do their wills differ?"
One of the major aspects of the nature of the Godhead is that They are united in purpose. That makes it easy to raise the question, "Do their wills differ?" If Christ subordinated His will to that of God the Father, then Their wills *must* have differed in some way.
I think the key difference in Their wills comes from the very fact that They are separate entities. Jesus was nearing the end of His mortal experience, but still mortal, and performing an infinite Atonement for our sins that caused Him more emotional and physical anguish than anyone else has ever known. His body was subject to pain and a natural desire to avoid or end that pain. Thus, the Man who was experiencing the pain of the Atonement had, within Him, the will that it should stop. However, because of His great love for His Father and for us, He put that will beneath the will of His Father, who surely empathized with His Son but yet knew that the Atonement of Christ was necessary for the salvation of all.
So during His mortal life, Jesus' mortal experiences in a physical but imperfect body would have given Him desires that, although supremely tempered and controlled by Him, were a part of His will. That was what made His selflessness and righteousness so great.
Last thoughts for now:
I'm grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I'm grateful for His perfect example to us. I'm also grateful to be able to continually learn through study and testimony.
Sunday, March 17, 2019
Borne of Four
Today I was surprised by how much I appreciated our Sunday School lesson about Jesus' miracles in the early chapters of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Having heard the stories so many times over the years, I didn't expect anything particularly new or good, but it was really quite sweet. One of my favorites is the story of the healing of the centurion's servant in Luke 7 (and Matthew 8), but today I was struck very much by the story of the man healed of a "palsy" after being lowered through a roof.
In many of the miraculous healings, individuals approached Jesus and asked for healing for themselves or on behalf of loved ones, but in this case, the person was not able to. Instead, as we read in Mark 2:3, he was brought by others: "And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four."
We don't know much at all about these four people. We can assume that they cared a lot about this man, but I think it's more than that. I imagine that there must have been quite a bit of effort involved, some convincing, and some coordination and ingenuity in order to get a paralyzed person up onto a roof and then lower him down through it. Their efforts definitely demonstrated faith, and it was their faith that brought about the miracle; see verse 5 where Jesus responded "when [He] saw their faith".
Of course we should seek our own blessings from God. We've been instructed many times to ask for those things that we need. I think, though, that sometimes we're unable to do so or perhaps, for some reason or another, not in the best position to seek and receive blessings by our own faith. Maybe in those cases we need to be "borne of four", or maybe more people than that, who devote time and energy to helping us.
Conversely, I truly believe that sometimes we need to be among the four. There are often people nearby who are in need. Sometimes they aren't able to do everything they need; at other times, maybe they can--strictly speaking--but in a practical sense they might not receive blessings if not for our efforts on their behalf.
Last thoughts for now:
I'm grateful for the people have have metaphorically carried me at times in the past. I'm also grateful for the opportunities I've had to serve others and bring them to blessings of the Gospel. I especially hope that I will yet have many occasions in which I can be among the "four".
In many of the miraculous healings, individuals approached Jesus and asked for healing for themselves or on behalf of loved ones, but in this case, the person was not able to. Instead, as we read in Mark 2:3, he was brought by others: "And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four."
We don't know much at all about these four people. We can assume that they cared a lot about this man, but I think it's more than that. I imagine that there must have been quite a bit of effort involved, some convincing, and some coordination and ingenuity in order to get a paralyzed person up onto a roof and then lower him down through it. Their efforts definitely demonstrated faith, and it was their faith that brought about the miracle; see verse 5 where Jesus responded "when [He] saw their faith".
Of course we should seek our own blessings from God. We've been instructed many times to ask for those things that we need. I think, though, that sometimes we're unable to do so or perhaps, for some reason or another, not in the best position to seek and receive blessings by our own faith. Maybe in those cases we need to be "borne of four", or maybe more people than that, who devote time and energy to helping us.
Conversely, I truly believe that sometimes we need to be among the four. There are often people nearby who are in need. Sometimes they aren't able to do everything they need; at other times, maybe they can--strictly speaking--but in a practical sense they might not receive blessings if not for our efforts on their behalf.
Last thoughts for now:
I'm grateful for the people have have metaphorically carried me at times in the past. I'm also grateful for the opportunities I've had to serve others and bring them to blessings of the Gospel. I especially hope that I will yet have many occasions in which I can be among the "four".
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)